Holistic Nursing

Barbara Dossey, PhD, RN, HNC, FAAN, is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the holistic nursing movement. She is Director of Holistic Nursing Consultants in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has authored or co-authored 20 books including Compassionate Care ofthe Dying: Manual and Standards for Practice (2003), Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer (2000), Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice (2000), AHNA Standards of Holistic Nursing Practice (2000), Profiles of Nurse Healers (1998), AHNA Core Curriculum for Holistic Nursing (editor, 1997), AACN Handbook of Critical Care Nursing (1997), and Rituals of Healing (1994). Barbara is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She is certified in holistic nursing. She is a seven-time recipient of the prestigious American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award. She was awarded the 1985 Holistic Nurse of the Year by the American Holistic Nurses' Association; the 1998 Healer of the Year by the Nurse Healers Professional Associates International, Inc.; the 1999 Pioneering Spirit Award by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses; and the 1999 Scientific and Medical Network Book of the Year by the Scientific and Medical Network, United Kingdom. The Doody’s Rating Service awarded her Florence Nightingale: Mystic Visionary, Healer as one of the 250 Best Health Sciences Books in 2000. In 2001 she was recognized as TWU 100 Great Nursing Alumni, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas. She received the 2003 Distinguished Alumna Award from Baylor University, Waco, Texas A major focus of her work currently is holistic nursing, compassionate care for the dying, and virtual education. She is also exploring the impact of Florence Nightingale’s life and work on modern nursing and humankind. For the 72nd General Episcopal Church Convention in Philadelphia July 1997, Barbara wrote three of five documents to accompany the Resolution Proposal to request the reconsideration of Nightingale’s commemoration and for her name to be placed on the church calendar list of Lesser Feast and Fasts in the Episcopal Church Book of Common Prayer. The official vote to accept Nightingale to the church calendar occurred in July 2000. The inaugural Florence Nightingale Commemorative Service was held on August 12, 2001, at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. Lynn Keegan, RN, PhD, AHN-BC, FAAN is one of the founders of the holistic health focus in nursing and a well-known leader in holistic nursing. She currently works as Director of Holistic Nursing Consultants in Port Angeles, WA. She has authored or co-authored 18 books and scores of professional journal publications and chapters in text books. Her books include the double 2011 AJN Book of the Year Award, End of Life: Nursing Solutions for Death with Dignity, six editions of the co-authored, three time AJN award winning book of the year textbook, Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice, Healing Nutrition, 2nd ed., Healing with Complementary and Alternative Therapies, Healing Waters: The Miraculous Health Benefits of Earth’s Most Essential Resource, Profiles of Nurse Healers, and The Nurse as Healer, among others. She served as editor for a 15 book series at Delmar Publishing in the 1990s. In addition she has delivered scores of presentations and keynote addresses in numerous countries throughout the world. Lynn was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and is board certified as Advanced Holistic Nurse by the American Holistic Nurses Association. She is past president of the American Holistic Nurses' Association and is on the board of many organizations and journals. She has been on the faculty of several prominent universities teaching in associate degree programs through coordinating graduate nursing programs. In 1991 she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Cornell University – New York Hospital School of Nursing, and she is a three-time recipient of the prestigious American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award. Cynthia Barrere PhD, RN, CNS, AHN-BC is known for her expertise in research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement. She holds two national organization leadership positions in which her consultation provides guidance to nurses seeking to conduct studies and practice based on the evidence. Her research examines ways to blend traditional nursing interventions (for patients with stroke and heart failure) with holistic concepts (such as communication, presence, spirituality, and quality of life) to provide nurses with creative yet practical care interventions that improve patient outcomes. Dr. Barrere has published numerous articles, has invited chapters in two nursing textbooks, is a Co-Associate Editor of Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice, 6th edition, is a reviewer for several refereed nursing journals, and has given numerous presentations to nursing and healthcare audiences locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. She has truly enjoyed this journey of writing, collaboration, and friendship throughout the creation of the Core Curriculum for Holistic Nursing, Second Edition. Mary Helming PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, AHN-BC is a family nurse practitioner, Professor of Nursing at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, and an advanced holistic nurse . Her research interests include spirituality in nursing, near death experience, prayer and healing, and educating nurse practitioner students about holism and integrative healthcare. Dr. Helming has over 30 years of experience as a family nurse practitioner in family practice, internal medicine, and occupational health. She has published several articles, several book chapters and she reviews for three journals. Dr. Helming served as a Co-Associate Editor for Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice and has presented at AHNA conferences and nurse practitioner conferences. She is very grateful for the incredible friendship and guidance of Drs. Barbie Dossey and Lynn Keegan, and the work of her current co-editors.